A recent development in the shipping trade is the use of a plastic stretch film or stretch wrap to secure a plurality of containers on a pallet. Among the advantages of the use of a stretch wrap film are the tight holding qualities, no adhesives, clarity of identification of the contents, puncture resistance, and relatively low cost. In the past fairly complex wrap apparatus has rotated the pallet relative to a reel assembly that is supported by a stationary support. Some attempts have been made to use hand-held dispensers but these have not been entirely satisfactory from the standpoint of a uniformity of wrap, tension adjustment, simplicity, durability, balance, or ease of manipulation for various types of objects.
Of particular importance in effectively applying the stretch film to containers on a pallet is the ability to readily preset, to change, and to quick-release the tension on the film. Maximum stretch is required when wrapping around corners and less stretch along straight surfaces between corners. The location of the hand grips relative to the roll affects the balance and the ability to uniformly apply the film under a selected tension. The ease of replacing the roll of film is also a significant factor to be considered.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a simple, durable, and easy to use dispenser for stretch wrap film operations and the like.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a novel stretch wrap film dispenser characterized by a good balance and the application of the film under substantially uniform tension across the full width of the film for a uniform wrap.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a film dispenser in which the roll is readily replaced.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a novel hand-held plastic film dispenser characterized by the use of one hand grip that is readily movable during the wrapping of the film about an object to adjust the drag on the roll and thereby the tension on the film.